Saturday, April 27, 2013

Utilizing imagery and visual memory can be very helpful when learning mathematics. A single picture can help a student define and remember a concept, or it can even help them to recall the steps required to compute a problem. What’s more, it often brings the “fun factor” into the learning environment as students can pull out their crayons, colored pencils or magic markers to complete the activity.

I recently learned about the Palm Tree Method from one of my students. I scoured the internet to find its origin, but came up empty handed. So, although I did not come up with this idea, it is still one of my favorites for solving proportions. Here is a sample problem and the steps to follow.

Write out the proportion.

Draw a green oval around the numerator of the first fraction and the denominator of the second fraction.

Draw another green oval around the denominator of the first fraction and the numerator of the second fraction.

Notice how the crisscrossing ovals create a multiplication sign. This will remind students that they will be multiplying the numbers circled.

Draw the trunk on the tree as a brown rectangle.

Write out the problem: 100·x = 60·80 (placing the equals sign in the trunk of the palm tree).

Solve the next step 60·80=4800 (again placing the equals sign in the trunk of the palm tree).

Friday, April 19, 2013

Bringing a tactile, visual and experiential component into math instruction can bring the “fun factor” into your lessons. In addition, incorporating multisensory dynamics into lessons makes them more memorable and concrete.

This activity is great for math centers, a classroom activity or individual remediation.

When I teach place values, I like to engage my students with colorful pompoms and pill boxes! You can usually find pill boxes and bags of assorted pompoms at a Dollar Store. With a few color coded labels, that cover the days of the week, your pill boxes can be transformed into pompom compartments. I like to put a single color in each compartment and I color code the labels to match. This makes it easy for students to reassemble the activity for the next person. Also, make sure to vary the number of pompoms in each partition. I like to make a variety of difficulty levels for the students and use the seven boxes as follows:

I also like to provide a laminated sheet so students can record answers with a dry erase marker or I place the answer sheet in a dry erase pocket. Students can check their answers with an answer sheet or a barcode on the back of the pill box.

If you would like this activity, you can create it yourself. However, this activity, as well as the score sheets, are included in my popular publication, Place Value Panic Game, and Instruction. To learn more, Click Here.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Many students struggle with main ideas
and supporting details.What’s
more, they often find the instruction and activities associated with these
abstract concepts to be boring.I
have just finished a new, main idea and supporting details product that offers
engaging, multisensory, and mindful lessons, handouts, activities and
games.A charming, cartoon-like
character, Main I-deer, will walk your students through the process in a fun
and memorable way.To top it off,
I have included two card games (beginners and intermediate) that can be used
for group work, learning centers or individual remediation.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Over the years, I have scoured the internet for great, online games. I am a learning specialist, and if I
can get my students involved in activities that benefit cognition and
learning, then they can expand their potential and also find joy in the
process. I have each of the
games described and linked on the website for my private practice. In addition, the games are categorized under
the following headings, so that it is easy to find the needed resources: cognitive, general
education, writing and language, social studies, science, spelling, reading, digital
story telling, math, grammar, typing, social skills, and sequencing.

So, I wanted to share this link with other teachers and
families. CLICK HERE

I hope you find it useful. I would love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you have any other sites that
you like, let me know and I will be happy to place them on the page.

Multisensory Multiplication and Division to Melodies CD - MMDM

Kangaroo Metric Conversions

College Essay Workshop

Eclectic Teaching Approach

Noodle the Noun Hound

Preppy the Preposition Penguin

Fraction Golf, Hockey and More

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